Trolley harp control of current selective relay



.April 5; 1932.

TROLLEY HARP CONTROL M. w. cooKE ET AL OF CURRENT SELECTIVE RELAY FiledFeb. 18, 1928 ATTDRNEY Patented Apr. 5, 1932 UNITED STATES MILTON W.COOKE, OF MOUNT TROLLEY HARP common or CURRENT SELECTIVE RELAY,

Applicaticn filed February is, 1928. Serial No. 255,371.

Our invention relates to an electric control system for electricrailways or vehicles which employ a trolley pole, trolley harp and anelectric switch throwing apparatus for oper-- ating the switch pointaccording to whether an electric car is carrying its trolley wheel undera contacting device mounted adj acent the trolley wire with itscontroller set for power or without power, however the ourrent drawn forpropelling the car is not a factor in our new control system.

The object of our invention is to provide a modified type of trolleyharp to control a current selective relay equipment to insure definiteoperations of the switch throwing apparatus under all possible operatingconditions, and to eliminate the objectionable and ever-increasing falseoperations when the current flowing to the car motors is employed tooperate the selective relay.

As a direct result of the growth of electric railways, the trend is tolarger cars. The addition of these larger cars in electric railwaysystems introduces a problem that is very serious in its consequenteffect of the control systems hereinbefore employed for automaticelectric track switch operations. It is well known to those skilled: inthe art of automat-.

ic switch operation that in the larger cars I which are equipped withmany new electrically operated devices, that the added electricalconsumption of same is steadily reducing the margin between theauxiliary currents and that consumed by the electric car which is thebasis for the present day accepted and practically universal system ofselecting the solenoid of the switch throwing device for the straightahead or curved directions which employs the car motor current.

As in the case with most electric railway systems, these modern carshave been added on to their systems in addition to the old and lightertype where a greater margin of current exists between the power on andpower current used by the auxiliary circuits on the larger type carsapproach the maximum current drawn by the smaller or lighter cars. In;

asmuch as the amount of current to be used by the various cars can notbe predetermined ations off operations. It is quite evident that the orcontrolled, without introducing serious and objectionablecomplications,,the control system'must be designed to adjust itself tothe varied degrees of current drawn.

Afurther object of ourinvention is to provide means-through the use of aspecial trolley harp and kindred apparatus which will provide a meansfor operating a relay which is to select the proper solenoid for thedesired operation of the switch point and overcome the developingdifiicultiesencountered by the use of standard apparatus and to causethe LEBANON, IEENNSYLVANIA, AND SAMUEL s. STOLB, or LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKYV apparatus to be substantially infallible regardless of the margin ofdifference between the values of current incidentto the operation of allclasses of'cars for corresponding oper- E that is, with power on-orwithpower 0 p p y v.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a combined circuit and appara-,

tus diagram, illustrating our improved method ofoperating automaticelectric switches.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of the trolley pan or contactor.I

InFig. 1' a trolley pan or contactor. isrepresentedadjacent trolley wire'4. Trolley wheel A is shown in contact with electric conductor strips-D, 6 of the trolley pan, and is carried on trolley pole P. Insulatedfrom this pole and 'harp by insulationT, S, S1 isa supplemental metallicyoke O. Rigidly se cured to and electrically insulated fro-m trolley pan1 are flexible prongs E, E1, which are so arranged and disposedthat-they will contact with yoke O in its normal course of travel. Theyare electrically connectedby wires 10, 101 and resistor R'1 to relayKL.1

which is in turn connected to the ground 2-G through wire2. To contactorstrip '6 is connected armature K. L. A. by wire 11. K. L.

A. is so positioned that through its front contact it will cause currentto energize solenoid S 2 through wire 13 and solenoid S3 throughwire 12.These solenoids are connected'to the ground 2-Gr by wires 3, 14 andToyoke'O is connected an insulated Wire 8 which passes through pole P tocontact 17 To pole P is electrically connected wire .7 which withwire-7A carries current to conresistor R, wire 26 to motor M which isindicated as being connected to ground 2-G by wire 6A. Contacts 16 and17 are preferably located in the controller and are so arranged thatsegment J, alsoginco-rporated in the controller, can be rotated to,close or open contacts 16, 17 and the circuit connected thereto.Contacts 16 and 17 are closed by segment J' When the controller isoperated to supply propulsion current to the motor-. theclosed positionand with trolley. wheel A. in.

contact with trolley pan strips as shown in Fig. 1, current will passfrom. trolley wire 4i, connector 4A, contactor strip D, through thetrolley pole wires7',,7. A, contactlfi, segment J, contact 17, wire 8,yoke'O, either or both 'pIIQHgS E1, E--1,fw'ireslO:, 10-1, resistor R l,and energize KL, which will cause/armature K. L; A. to engage its, frontcontact. and thereby energize solenoid S2 and cause plunger to; operatethe switch tongue 18.; With segment J out, of contact; with cc11---tacts. 16,17, current w-illpass from trolley wire, 4, connector 4A,;strip D, trolley wheel A,;strip 6-, wire 11, armature L A. to, solenoidS3 and. will operate; switch point 16 to the opposite position, to thateffected by the peration previously described. Thus the selective relayperforms its function by heingdefinitely energized or being left:definite- 1y deeenerg-ized. I 7

It must be remembered that well known standard .conta'ctois may beemployed with prongs E,.-E,-1 placed in advance of: the metallic. stripsD, 6, as; indicated in Fig. 3, so that L. will. be positioned accordingto'the. willof the operator of. segment J.

While we prefer to. establish: electrical con- 2. A switch operatingsystem, comprising in combination, a trolley conductor, an electricallyoperated track switch to be selectively actuated from a Vehicle, abranched circuit to the track switch, electrically actuated circuitcontrolling means to control the said circuit for transmitting currentfrom the conductor to the track switch to operate it in the desireddirection, said means being selectively actuatedi-ndepend'ent themagnitude of current; flowing in the circuits of the said Vehicle 1 V 1I 3. In a systemof the class'described, the combination. of.atrack'solenoid, a trolley contactor, a current collector forcooperating with the trolley ontactor to energize the said tracksolenoid, a. switchbetween the trolley contactor; and tr ack s l noid,electrical means for cpi-irating the said Swansea. means-a ra g d to. beselectively placeclin shunt with the circuits of a hicl when the saidcurrent collector engages the, trolley: (161),! tactor. 7 a I .7

In testimony whereof; I afiix. my signature. v MID'IQN W- GQO-KE- Intestimony whereof I alfix my signature.

r Si STOLP.

nections between 16 and 17 with J" being oiperated from the controllerso thatv the established system of power on andvpower ofi" may beemployed to set and operate the electric track switch, an independentswitch, suitably located, for inst nce in the floor, may be utilized. rY 7 F. L. H. represents respectively, an air compressor, electriclights, and h aters. They are shown connectedto, trolley pole-PWit-hswitches intervening which completes the circuit to ground.

that we claim is A Switch operating system, comprising in'cembination, atrolley conductor, an. electrically operated track switch provided witha pair of solenoids, a branched circuit, to each of said solenoids ofsaid track switch, electrically actuated circuit controlling meansoperated from a vehicle to control the said circuit for transmittingcurrent, from the

